Octavian Bishop
Sir Octavian Henry Bishop (MBE) was a notable British military general, and later a knight of England for his services. A distinguished war veteran, he fought valiantly in the Anglo-Spanish War of 1727, the Second and Third Carnatic Wars, the French and Indian War, and the American Revolution. Before becoming a soldier, he was a member of the East India Company of England, as a lowly trader. He left shortly after to pursue a life in the military. Some time during his military career, he served as a secret assassin for British Parliament, where he killed a hand full of world leaders who opposed Britain. Overall, it is believed Bishop is responsible for the death of about 200 men alone. Early Life Octavian Henry Bishop was born November 1, 1702, to father Philip Simon Bishop and mother Judith Adams Bishop. Although born in Maastricht, Holland, Bishop was born a full British citizen (Bishop's parents were in Maastricht for a mission trip at the time of his birth). When Octavian was born, his parents did not know what to name him at first. They finally agreed upon Octavian, in honor of the great Roman emperor Octavius Augustus Caesar, whom the Bishops are supposedly descendants of. Philip Bishop was a clergyman, and a promoter of Christianity, and therefore traveled on mission trips with his family often. Two months after Octavian's birth, the Bishops moved to Armagh, Ireland, to help promote Christianity in a highly Celtic-pagan region. However, because punitive legislation laws, they soon were forced to leave the island, and settled in the British port city of Plymouth. Growing up in Plymouth, Octavian would sit by the docks of the city many days and simply watch the large wooden ships pull in. He dreamed of one day boarding a ship, and sailing to distant, exotic lands. His father, however, told him that only soldiers went to exotic lands to conquer, and fighting was not the way of the Lord. Philip Bishop tried heavily to influence his son in the ways of Christianity. He would often take Octavian with him when he traveled through England to spread knowledge of the Lord to lesser villages. When Octavian was eight, he attended Plymouth Grammar School. Around the same time, Philip and Judith Bishop had a second child, a daughter named Meredith. Octavian's parents would want him to spend time with his little sister, but young Octavian chose instead to journey through the many forests and hidden caves outside Plymouth by himself. He wanted adventure. He wanted something new. When Bishop graduated from grammar school in 1716, Octavian's father forced his son to attend theology school, at Oxford University. At Oxford, Octavian failed theology school immediatly and dropped out. Despite goads by his father to try again, Octavian left England and sailed to Italy. There, he attended the University of Bologna, and four years later, graduated with a degree in trade. With this, he hoped to join the highly successful British East India Company as a marketing advisor, and earn a lucrative profit. Career in the East India Company This page is not complete. Please do not edit without the author (Jeremiah Garland's) permission.